Lentils are best suited to areas receiving between 350 and 600 mm of annual rainfall. In drier or colder areas, they may grow too short to be harvested efficiently. Spring sowing is an option in some higher rainfall areas.

Lentils are suited to well drained, level, sandy loam to clay loam soils of good fertility. They prefer deeper soils with higher water holding capacity. Lentils perform poorly on sandy acidic soils. They are very susceptible to waterlogging, salinity, low pH and soils high in boron. Consider applying lime where soils are below a pH of 6.0 in water.

Lentil plants are poor weed competitors with limited in-crop herbicide options. Reduce the weed seed soil bank in preceding years, particularly of problem weeds. Do not sow into former vetch paddocks to avoid seed contamination at harvest. Other pulses are easily cleaned from lentil seed. Avoid cereal grain contamination by removing self-sown cereals in crop with a grass herbicide.

Lentils not of the specified variety are restricted to 1% at delivery. This is of particular concern when growing varieties with different seed coat colours. Be aware of the potential for contamination from hard seed and volunteer lentils in paddocks when changing to new varieties with different seed coat colours ie Northfield to Nipper.

Check list for lentil paddock selection:

Rainfall needs to be greater than 350 mm/year, and with good sub-soil moisture retention

• If rainfall is greater than 550 mm, then assess if Spring sowing possible
• Soil should be of a texture and deep enough to hold sufficient water to finish the crop
• Ensure that soil type is friable and does not set excessively hard on surface
• Avoid low pH and soils high in boron
• Soils must be free draining with no waterlogging
• Soil surface needs to be flat and free of undulations, so rolling may be needed for harvest to be free of sticks, clods and stones
• Paddocks must be relatively free of problem weeds like herbicide resistant ryegrass, medics, bifora, bedstraw, wild radish, vetch, tares or self-sown pulses like peas, chickpeas or beans
• Maximum plant-back periods after herbicides must have been satisfied, e.g. sulphonylureas, Lontrel®, triazines and imidazolinones
• Stubble clumps from sowing must be minimised or flattened to enable efficient harvest and safe application of post sowing pre-emergent herbicides.